Hi everyone, I hope there is someone here that can give me some solid advice. I have a defiant non cat everburn, I cannot seem to get my stove to stay warm/hot, I get it heated to 600 and when I shut the damper, the fire goes out and the smoke starts coming out of the stove. The smoke will stop if I turn the air completely off. Which means the fire goes out. I slowly open the air little by little and eventually the smoke stops but by then the stove has cooled off so much it is only registering 350 on the thermometer. I have tried everything with this stove. We are not in an air tight house, we have a log cabin, outside masonry chimney, and we live between two rather large hills and on a lake. I think we have alot of strikes against us. We were getting alot of backpuffing, but bought a vacu stack cap and that solved that problem. But now we can't seem to get the stove warm enough to heat the home. Our home is only 1800 sq. ft. and we heat primarily with wood or was hoping too. Our chimney is three feet above the roofline. We have a 8 x 12 flue on the stove so we can burn it as a fireplace if we want to. We did have some technicians/sales rep come and inspect the stove and said it was fine, although they did replace the gasket on the bottom of the stove. We have had this stove for 4 years now and this is the first time we have not been able to hear the everburn system working. My husband and I are at wits end with this stove, and are ready to set it to the curb and put free on it. Does anyone have any other suggestions of what we can do with this damn stove?
vc everburn non cat defiant
- Thread starter chicoide
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Hanko
Minister of Fire
Its either a draft issue, or the wood you using. Alot of folks have had issues with the neverburn VC's. Start out with small dry splits and if you have to leave the door cracked untill it get cranking. Just keep an eye on it while your doing this. It sounds like your closing the damper down to soon. Let her haul ass.
The operating manual for your stove states that the 8x12 liner is the max size and anything larger will not draft properly. Maybe current conditions are causing you problems?
chicoide said:
Welcome to the forums. Are you saying the stove has performed well for four years with the same 8x12 flue? If so, it sounds like a stove issue, not a draft issue, although the flue seems a bit large. Perhaps the afterburner is clogged with ash, or has been damaged/degraded. You might search some old VC threads - I can only tell you how the ash builds up in my Oakwood, a similar design, and that you need to be very careful with that fragile part. It sounds like a clog to me, similar to what has happened to a few Oakwood owners getting smoke issues.
sullystull
Feeling the Heat
I wrestled with an everburn stove for a season before I ditched the stove for something more user-friendly. You can do a search here for everburn and yield several results. Also, do a member search for tradergordo--he's posted a lot of useful information, including videos on how to operate a stove with the everburn technology. best of luck to you.
sullystull
Feeling the Heat
might be a bit overwhelming but try this...
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/4188/
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/4188/
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I have read that manual over countless times and you are right, there is nothing in it that explains the everburn system.
What I do know, is we followed the directions when we installed our stove, my husband is a contractor so he built this house and we knew what stove we were putting in when we built it, therefore, he followed the instructions in the manual for the 8 x 12 flue. We have had the everburn fiber ceramic piece replaced after one year of use because it didn't burn right, luckily our rep was able to get his hands on one, we were told at that time that when the stoves left assembly, the fiber board was glued into place and they didn't give the glue enough time to seal before putting the stove together so it was out of place. You could see pieces of it fall on the floor when they opened the back of the stove. With that being said, we thought great now it will burn good and it did for about two years and now it is not burning good again. With it being as cold as it is right now, we could only get the stove to 500 last nite and it is at 400 now and back puffing. Does it matter what kind of temperature gauge you are using? We have it placed in the middle of the griddle, it is a magnetic one. We placed a damper in the stove pipe, to try and get this stove hotter and that works, but the minute we shut the damper down on the stove itself, the flames go out and the temp drops to 400. just can't seem to get it to burn, we are using oak and is two seasons dry.
What are your suggestions for cleaning the system out? Would you use an air compressor, or would that be too harsh to use?
What I do know, is we followed the directions when we installed our stove, my husband is a contractor so he built this house and we knew what stove we were putting in when we built it, therefore, he followed the instructions in the manual for the 8 x 12 flue. We have had the everburn fiber ceramic piece replaced after one year of use because it didn't burn right, luckily our rep was able to get his hands on one, we were told at that time that when the stoves left assembly, the fiber board was glued into place and they didn't give the glue enough time to seal before putting the stove together so it was out of place. You could see pieces of it fall on the floor when they opened the back of the stove. With that being said, we thought great now it will burn good and it did for about two years and now it is not burning good again. With it being as cold as it is right now, we could only get the stove to 500 last nite and it is at 400 now and back puffing. Does it matter what kind of temperature gauge you are using? We have it placed in the middle of the griddle, it is a magnetic one. We placed a damper in the stove pipe, to try and get this stove hotter and that works, but the minute we shut the damper down on the stove itself, the flames go out and the temp drops to 400. just can't seem to get it to burn, we are using oak and is two seasons dry.
What are your suggestions for cleaning the system out? Would you use an air compressor, or would that be too harsh to use?
Too harsh. With the Oakwood, you need to remove the back panel of the stove, then pull the piece and vacuum. I don't know how to access the AB piece in your stove, but it must be done gently.chicoide said:
Troutchaser
New Member
Can you see back into that combuster? Prop your wood up so you can take a look at the flame path when you close the bypass. With full primary air, it should be rocketing into that shoe. If you close the bypass and flames lazily slip through the opening, you must have blockage back there.
If it's been two years, you're probably due to vacuum ash. But, go at it like brain surgery.
If it's been two years, you're probably due to vacuum ash. But, go at it like brain surgery.
tiber
Feeling the Heat
Is the chimney tall enough?
when I was in the stove shopping mode I was pouring over the manuals at the VCs had about four ft taller chimney requirements than other stoves. My chimney sticks up a bit over the roofline of my house but it's almost the minimum for my stove.
when I was in the stove shopping mode I was pouring over the manuals at the VCs had about four ft taller chimney requirements than other stoves. My chimney sticks up a bit over the roofline of my house but it's almost the minimum for my stove.
my chimney is 3 feet above the rooftop, but We are in a valley type setting, Two large hills on either side of us with a lake in between, so we get a lot of wind, which is why we bought the vacu stack. We have been using the damper on the stove pipe tonite because it is so cold outside, I have a good bed of coals and have threwn more wood on it, the temp has dropped from 650 to 550. I am letting her rip right now. I know if I use the damper on the stove the temp will drop to 400. I am going to clean it out this weekend, I will use my shop vac on it and hopefully it will work after that.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
my chimney is 3 feet above the rooftop, but We are in a valley type setting, Two large hills on either side of us with a lake in between, so we get a lot of wind, which is why we bought the vacu stack. We have been using the damper on the stove pipe tonite because it is so cold outside, I have a good bed of coals and have threwn more wood on it, the temp has dropped from 650 to 550. I am letting her rip right now. I know if I use the damper on the stove the temp will drop to 400. I am going to clean it out this weekend, I will use my shop vac on it and hopefully it will work after that.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
my chimney is 3 feet above the rooftop, but We are in a valley type setting, Two large hills on either side of us with a lake in between, so we get a lot of wind, which is why we bought the vacu stack. We have been using the damper on the stove pipe tonite because it is so cold outside, I have a good bed of coals and have threwn more wood on it, the temp has dropped from 650 to 550. I am letting her rip right now. I know if I use the damper on the stove the temp will drop to 400. I am going to clean it out this weekend, I will use my shop vac on it and hopefully it will work after that.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
my chimney is 3 feet above the rooftop, but We are in a valley type setting, Two large hills on either side of us with a lake in between, so we get a lot of wind, which is why we bought the vacu stack. We have been using the damper on the stove pipe tonite because it is so cold outside, I have a good bed of coals and have threwn more wood on it, the temp has dropped from 650 to 550. I am letting her rip right now. I know if I use the damper on the stove the temp will drop to 400. I am going to clean it out this weekend, I will use my shop vac on it and hopefully it will work after that.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
my chimney is 3 feet above the rooftop, but We are in a valley type setting, Two large hills on either side of us with a lake in between, so we get a lot of wind, which is why we bought the vacu stack. We have been using the damper on the stove pipe tonite because it is so cold outside, I have a good bed of coals and have threwn more wood on it, the temp has dropped from 650 to 550. I am letting her rip right now. I know if I use the damper on the stove the temp will drop to 400. I am going to clean it out this weekend, I will use my shop vac on it and hopefully it will work after that.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
Here is the funny part, I have a old old small stove in the basement a floor below the defiant, and that works better than the defiant. It keeps great draft. Maybe your theory is correct maybe the chimney is not high enough. And no, I do not use them at the same time, and even if I did, they are on separate flues.
Blue_Tractor_Man
Member
We have a VC Defiant non-cat and are very pleased with it. It needs good quality, dry wood. I suspect you have a chimney problem. I am of the opinion that an insulated stainless steel pipe is better than a masonry chimney. If the smoke in the flue cools off very much it will get heavy and fall back down the flue causing back puffing.
It took us a full season to get used to operating our stove, but we could not be more pleased with it. Certainly much better than the old "smoke dragon" we had before.
Got to keep a warm flue.
It took us a full season to get used to operating our stove, but we could not be more pleased with it. Certainly much better than the old "smoke dragon" we had before.
Got to keep a warm flue.
Well, we took the stove apart this morning, and found that we had the same issue that was original in the stove, the shoe gasket was all scrunched up and we believe because of that we were not getting the everburn rumble nor was the stove getting hot enough. We can't seem to believe it could be a gasket that would cause this. We took it apart and cleaned it too. I have ordered a new gasket, hope it won't hurt it burning it without the shoe gasket. We are wondering if we could just caulk it and place the piece back in the stove, granted it would never come back out. But we are thinking the caulk would work just as well as the gasket, maybe even better. Has anyone else run their stove without the shoe gasket? Has anyone ever replaced the shoe gasket before? Any thoughts ?
The problem with using furnace cement instead of gasket is that you will be fusing together two separate pieces into one piece.
Edit: I don't know what will happen if you burn without the gasket, but if you try it, let us know.
Edit: I don't know what will happen if you burn without the gasket, but if you try it, let us know.
we ran the stove last nite without the shoe gasket and lo' n behold, we have heat... with temps in the 40's outside the stove ran hot last nite, around 650, of course it was rather warm in the house, needed to open a window. It seems that the gasket must have been the issue, we are thinking the pieces of the gasket was covering the air holes within the stove and that is why we couldn't get the air to it. We actually heard the everburn kick in and we were able to use the damper on the stove instead of the pipe and she ran very well. I don't know if anything will happen using it without the shoe gasket, but we will find out, when we replace the gasket.
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